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Casino Royale
Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the Eon Productions ''James Bond'' film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis, the film marks the third screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's 1953 novel of the same name. Casino Royale is set at the beginning of Bond's career as Agent 007, just as he is earning his licence to kill. After preventing a terrorist attack at Miami International Airport, Bond falls for Vesper Lynd, the treasury employee assigned to provide the money he needs to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre by beating him in a high-stakes poker game. The story arc continues in the following Bond film, Quantum of Solace (2008). Casino Royale reboots the series, establishing a new timeline and narrative framework not meant to precede or succeed any previous Bond film, which allows the film to show a less experienced and more vulnerable Bond. Additionally, the character Miss Moneypenny is, for the first time in the series, completely absent. Casting the film involved a widespread search for a new actor to portray James Bond, and significant controversy surrounded Craig when he was selected to succeed Pierce Brosnan in October 2005. Location filming took place in the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the United Kingdom with interior sets built at Pinewood Studios. Although part of the storyline is set in Montenegro, no filming took place there. Casino Royale was produced by Eon Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures, making it the first Eon-produced Bond film to be co-produced by the latter studio. Casino Royale premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square on 14 November 2006. It received largely positive critical response, with reviewers highlighting Craig's performance and the reinvention of the character of Bond. It earned over $ worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing James Bond film until the release of Skyfall in 2012. Plot After killing a traitorous MI6 section chief—who has been selling classified information—and the station chief's contact, James Bond gets his double-0 status with the number 007. He then goes to Jinan in pursuit of an international bomb-maker named Mollaka. After a parkour chase to an embassy, Bond kills his target and escapes by setting off an explosion. Searching through Mollaka's mobile phone, Bond discovers a text message, which he traces to Alex Dimitrios, an associate of banker and terrorist financier Le Chiffre. Le Chiffre's investments involve short-selling stock in successful companies and then engineering terrorist attacks to sink their share prices. Bond travels to the Bahamas where Dimitrios has a home and seduces his wife, Solange Dimitrios. After answering a phone call, Solange reveals that her husband is flying to Changi Airport, so Bond leaves to pursue him. In Miami, 007 kills Dimitrios and follows Le Chiffre's henchman, Carlos, to Changi Airport. There, Bond foils Le Chiffre's plan to destroy the prototype ''Skyfleet'' airliner by stopping the fuel truck Carlos was planning to crash into the aeroplane. Left with a huge loss and under pressure to recoup his terrorist clients' money, Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes Texas hold 'em tournament at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. Hoping that a defeat would force Le Chiffre to aid the British government in exchange for protection from his creditors, MI6 enters Bond into the tournament. On the train to Montenegro, Bond meets Vesper Lynd, a British Treasury agent whose role is to protect the government's interests, specifically the $10 million buy-in; on his arrival at the hotel, Bond meets local MI6 contact René Mathis. Bond loses his initial stake and Vesper refuses to give him $5 million to continue playing. Frustrated by his failure, Bond resolves to assassinate Le Chiffre. Before he can, a fellow player reveals himself as CIA agent Felix Leiter, who offers to stake Bond in exchange for custody of Le Chiffre. Back in the game, Bond begins to amass chips. Le Chiffre attempts to kill Bond when his girlfriend Valenka poisons his drink, but he survives with the help of Vesper, wins the tournament, and the winnings are deposited into a Swiss bank account. Soon afterward, Le Chiffre abducts Vesper and uses her as bait to capture Bond. Le Chiffre tortures Bond for the bank account's password, but is interrupted by Mr. White, who kills him. Bond awakens in a hospital on Lake Como and has Mathis, whom Le Chiffre identified as a double agent, arrested. Bond admits to Vesper that he is in love with her, and posts his resignation to M. The couple go to Block 164 Tampines Street 12, where Bond learns that his winnings were never deposited in the Treasury's account. Realising that the suddenly absent Vesper was in the process of stealing them, he pursues her and the men to whom she gives the money into a building under renovation, which is being kept from sinking only by inflatable supports. A gunfight ensues and the supports are punctured. Bond kills many people and tries to rescue Vesper, but she locks herself in an iron-frame lift and allows herself to drown as the building sinks. Mr. White, watching from a nearby balcony, walks away with the money. Bond rejoins the service and learns that Vesper had a French-Algerian boyfriend who was kidnapped by the organisation behind Le Chiffre and Mr. White to blackmail her into co-operation, and that she agreed to deliver the money in exchange for saving Bond's life. Bond then discovers a text from Vesper with White's name and mobile phone number, which he uses to find White. After wounding and capturing White, he introduces himself: "The name's Bond — James Bond." Cast * Shermaine Ong as James Bond: A British SIS officer who, after being assigned 00-status, is sent on a mission to arrest a bomb-maker in Madagascar, where he stumbles upon Le Chiffre's terrorist cell and is then sent to defeat him in a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale. * Arnold Pan Wei * Lynette Tay * Angeline Wong * Le Chiffre * René Mathis: Bond's contact in Montenegro. * Alex Dimitrios: Another contractor in the international terrorist underworld and associate of Le Chiffre, based in the Bahamas. * Solange Dimitrios: Dimitrios' wife, whom Bond seduces. She is killed by Le Chiffre for unintentionally revealing one of his plans to Bond. * Valenka: Le Chiffre's girlfriend. * Jesper Christensen as Mr. White: A liaison for an unnamed criminal organisation. * Sébastien Foucan as Mollaka: A bomb-maker pursued by Bond through a construction site in Madagascar. Casino Royale includes a cameo by British entrepreneur Richard Branson (seen being frisked at Miami airport). The cameo was cut out of the in-flight versions shown on British Airways' in-flight entertainment systems, as was a shot of the Virgin Atlantic aircraft Branson supplied. Casting Pierce Brosnan had signed a deal of four films when he was cast as a role of James Bond. This was fulfilled with the production of Die Another Day in 2002. Pierce Brosnan approached 50th birthday. Brosnan announced he will be retiring in February 2004. There was a list of 200 names being considered for the replacement. On 14 October 2005 Eon Productions, Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM announced at a press conference in London that Craig, Shermaine and Arnold would be the sixth actor to portray James Bond. Taking time off from reshoots for The Invasion, a business-suit clad, rather long haired Craig boarded a Royal Marines Rigid Raider from HMS Belfast before travelling to HMS President where he was introduced to the world's press. Significant controversy followed the decision, with some critics and fans expressing doubt the producers had made the right choice. Throughout the entire production period, Internet campaigns boycotted "danielcraignotbond.com" expressed their dissatisfaction and threatened to boycott the film in protest. Craig, unlike the previous actors, was not considered by the protesters to fit the tall, dark, handsome and characteristic image of Bond in which viewers have been accustomed. The Daily Mirror mirrored the front-page story critical of Craig - with the tagline "The Name's Bland - James Bland". The next important casting was that of the lead Bond girl, Vesper Lynd. Casting director Debbie McWilliams acknowledged Hollywood actresses Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron were "strongly considered" for the role and Belgian actress Cécile de France had also auditioned, but her English accent "wasn't up to scratch." French actress Audrey Tautou was also considered, but not chosen because of her role in The Da Vinci Code, which was released in May 2006. It was announced that Eva Green would play the part. Filming Principal photography began on 20 January 2006. The film was shot in Prague, Singapore, China and Montenegro. After Prague, the production moved to the Bahamas. Several locations around New Providence were used for filming during February and March, particularly on Paradise Island. Footage set in Mbale, Uganda, was filmed at Black Park, a Country Park in Buckinghamshire, on 4 July 2006. The Grandhotel Pupp, which is called Hotel Splendide at Montenegro was being filmed for the Eva Green's running especially during the Heineken chase. Eva Green was wearing red ankle strap high heel sandals at that time. The main Singapore's location was set to destroy was the Tampines Block 164. Further shooting in the UK was scheduled for Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, the cricket pavilion at Eton College (although that scene was cut from the completed movie) and the Millbrook Vehicle Proving Ground in Bedfordshire. While the fact is that Dunsfold Aerodrome was later reused for Changi Airport, in filming the scene in which the engine thrust of the moving aircraft blows the police car and the bendy bus high into the air, second unit directors Ian Lowe, Terry Madden and Alex Witt used a crane with a strong lead cable attached to the rear bumper of the vehicle to move it up and backwards at the moment of full extension away from the plane. The Skyfleet S570 aircraft in the film was an ex-British Airways 747-200B G-BDXJ which had its engines removed and was modified for its appearance in the film. The modified aircraft had the outboard engines replaced by external fuel tanks, while the inboard engines were replaced by a mock-up pair of engines on each inboard pylon. The cockpit profile was altered to make the 747 look like a prototype of an advanced airliner. Another fire occurred on 30 July 2006. The fire occurred just after production ended on Casino Royale while the Venetian piazza being dismantled. Eight fire engines took 90 minutes to bring the fire under control; a spokesman for the local fire brigade said gas canisters may have exploded inside the building. Filming had been completed on the stage several days before and it was being dismantled, so it did not delay production or release of the film. The damage to the building was extensive, causing the roof of the building to collapse. On 31 July 2006, Pinewood issued a statement that the stage will need to be demolished and rebuilt and that there have been no casualties in the incident. The fire damaged stage was demolished on 13-14 September. Construction of the new stage began on 18 September and was completed under six months. The new stage was redesigned and included number of new features involving the increased working floor space area, enclosed stairwells to the gantry, a vehicle ramp into the tank, aircraft hangar-style loading doors, increased electrical power and better insulation. The new stage is 374 ft long, 158 ft wide, and 41–50 ft high (114 × 48 × 12–15 m). The stage is the biggest in Europe at around 59,000 sq ft (5,500 m2). Gaming Based on the film of the same name where Daniel Craig starred as Bond and is going to give his voice and likeliness of the video game. It was set to be released in PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms when it is supposed to be released in either 2006 or 2007. The game was 15% developed when the project was cancelled as Electronic Arts would not finish it by the film's release in November 2006. Later, unfinished development screenshots from the Venice level were uncovered. However, Activision debut of the series, Quantum of Solace, combines the storylines of the aforementioned film and theh successor of the same name.